Bike East Bay's Guide to Better Biking at the Work Place

Businesses can be bicycle-friendly in many ways, based on three principal attributes. They’re centered in three categories: Financial Incentives, Encouragement and Infrastructure. Here are a few examples and ideas of bike friendly business practices:

Tell employees about the free Guaranteed Ride Home program, which provides free emergency rides home to commuters who bicycle or take other alternative transportation to work in Alameda County and Contra Costa County.

Permit a more relaxed dress code.

Provide Financial Incentives

Commute Incentives: Bicycle commuting reimbursement is part of the qualified transportation fringe benefits which allows employers to offer financial help, up to $20 per month, to employees towards the purchase a bicycle or bike accessories. Visit the League of American Bicyclists web site for a greater explanation.

Create your own financial incentive.KTGY Group, one of our 2014 Bike-Friendly Business winners, offers $5 per day as a “green commute incentive” to all employees who walk, bike, carpool, or ride public transportation to work.

Offer a discount to customers who visit by bike. Tay Ho, an Oakland based restaurant, takes 10% off your order if you arrive with a bike helmet. Encouraging your customers to walk and bike is a great way to increase business without being limited by the number of local parking spots.

Provide the Infrastructure

This is an important one. While the two other attributed will encourage more people to ride, lack of any quality infrastructure will prevent people from riding to work.

Bicycle Parking: Good bike parking is in a well lit and easily accessible area, with adequate signage. Ideally, bicycle parking is sheltered from the elements, close to the building or parking entrance, and located in a locked room or where there are people or security personnel. Another option is allowing employees to store their bicycles in their offices. Hot Italian, our 2014 small business winners, offers attractive, visible and safe bike parking for customers right outside their door.

Showers and changing facilities: Any commute over 5 miles may incur some fatigue and sweat, and many employees will not consider bicycling to work without the option of a shower or change upon arrival. If offering a shower and changing room for employees is not an option, consider making arrangements with a nearby health club at a corporate discount rate.

Provide an easy to use company-owned fleet of bicycles for lunch trips, off-site meetings and errands.

Set up a bike repair station, with a pump and some basic bike tools for any emergencies or quick fixes. The Richmond offices of SunPower, a solar energy company and our 2012 award recipient, offers showers, lockers, a bicycle tool station, and dedicated indoor parking for bicycle commuters. “The management of this company goes out of its way to accommodate SunPower’s many cyclist commuters” wrote an employee in their nomination.